Bill Text: MI HR0015 | 2017-2018 | 99th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: A resolution to declare February 2-8, 2017, as Chicano History Week in the state of Michigan.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-02-01 - Adopted [HR0015 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2017-HR0015-Enrolled.html
Reps. Schor, Pagan, Geiss, Yanez, Hoadley, Singh, Camilleri, Guerra, Brinks, Ellison, Durhal, Santana, Rendon, Hughes, Maturen, Lucido, Green, Moss, Canfield, Chang, Cochran, Faris, Greig and Sowerby offered the following resolution:
House Resolution No. 15.
A resolution to declare February 2-8, 2017, as Chicano History Week in the state of Michigan.
Whereas, The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, February 2, 1848, is commonly regarded
as the birth date of Chicanos; and
Whereas, We extend accolades of tribute, high praise, appreciation, and appropriate recognition to these North Americans and their descendants whose citizenship, under the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, changed overnight from Mexico to the United States of America. They have contributed to the economy, development, and growth of the state of Michigan and the nation, serving the arts, business, media, industry, agriculture, education, and society in a myriad of ways; and
Whereas, Despite being granted the rights of citizenship, the early Mexican-Americans found their rights denied in the form of their language, their culture, their political representation, their opportunities for employment and upward mobility in society. They were subjected to losing their land, homes, and property. As with many national boundary changes resulting from war treaties, historical documentation was destroyed and constitutional rights were abrogated, leaving them stripped of their identity, unique culture, and recorded contributions to society. This resulted in a disparaging image of those of Mexican descent.
Whereas, In a complex and diversified cultural society, we must strive to understand, accept, and appreciate all traditions and life-styles in order to eliminate prejudice. It is truly appropriate to declare February 2-8, 2017, as Chicano History Week in Michigan and to accord recognition to the cultural and intellectual development of a people with a proud past, inclusive of not only American accomplishments but also those of Spanish origin which predated the first English settlement in the United States by over half a century; and
Whereas, Historian Rodolfo Alvarez has divided the development of this segment of our population into four categories: the creation generation which was pre-1900; the migrant generation which was allied with Mexico by culture, language, and loyalty; the Mexican-American generation which regarded themselves as American citizens of Mexican descent; and the Chicano generation of today, which is a combination of, but distinctly separate from the previous three. Chicanos recognize that they are the result of a unique confluence of histories, cultures, languages, and traditions; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body declare February 2-8, 2017, as Chicano History Week in the state of Michigan. We commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848, and recognize the contributions of Chicanos across the nation and in the state of Michigan; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to appropriate officials of high standing in the state and to representatives of the coalition of Chicano and Latino organizations in support of this resolution as enduring testimony of the high esteem in which the ancestors and descendants of Chicanos and Chicanas are held by the Michigan Legislature.
